The Battle for the Tiger continues

The latest update from WWF, we really need to get behind this as a nation.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/conservation/7879411/Tiger-population-falls-to-lowest-level-since-records-began.html

littlewid-x-

Heres the link to sign the petition, just did it and it takes a seconds.

http://www.wwf.org.uk/how_you_can_help/donate_now/save_the_tiger/

Good link Littlewid - i signed it on Friday and posted it on FB but forgot to post it on WAA

Lai

Signed Petition. Thanks for posting LW

SM

Nice one Lai and SM.....i've posted it on my Facebook page as well.

littlewid-x-

Glad you put it on here LW or I would have missed it as you know I dont really look on Face Book. I've signed the petition, and I signed up as a friend of WFF
WS

Brilliant WS, they are needing as much support as possible.

littlewid-x-

This just goes to show the problem Tigers are faceing
Two frozen tiger bodies confiscated in illegal trade crackdown
08/07/2010 15:14:59 Haul also included body of a panther and 5kg of tiger bones
July 2010: Vietnam's Environmental Police have confiscated two frozen tigers and a frozen panther in the central province of Nghe An.


Tran Quang Cuong / Hanoi Environmental Police
The animals, along with 5kg of suspected tiger bones, were confiscated from the home of a 53-year old man in Dien Chau district early last week. The man has been arrested.

The confiscation resulted from a co-ordinated effort between enforcement authorities, including the recently established Environmental Police. TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, commended the authorities for their diligence in enforcing Viet Nam's wildlife laws.

‘The Environmental Police have demonstrated once again their dedication to halting the illegal trade in protected species such as tigers,' said Thomas Osborn, co-ordinator of TRAFFIC's Greater Mekong Programme.

Despite their protection under Vietnamese and international law, tigers and panthers continue to be illegally hunted and traded across Vietnam and South-East Asia for their meat, as souvenirs, and for their bones, used in traditional Chinese medicine and to make tiger bone wine.

In March this year, Lao Bao Border Guard Police seized a body of a tiger and a black panther being transported across the border to be sold in Vietnam. In October 2009, Vietnam Environmental Police seized two frozen tiger carcasses weighing a total of 130kg and arrested five suspects in Ha Noi.

As few as 30 wild tigers are estimated to survive in Vietnam. ‘If we hope to save the country's remaining Tigers and other threatened species, it will take ever increasing vigilance from authorities and a strong commitment by the government to support and promote existing wildlife laws,' said Osborn.

Tigers have become a global icon for species on the brink of extinction. With only an estimated 3,200 individuals remaining worldwide, wild tigers are in danger of disappearing within a decade.

Tigers are particularly in the spotlight, as in the Chinese calendar it is the Year of the Tiger. TRAFFIC, WWF and others are working this year to secure political commitments that will double the number of tigers by the next Year of the Tiger in 2022.

WS

That makes for more sad reading WS. Again it's going to take alot of work from the organsiations and their supporters to make a change for the better and to increase the Tiger population.
Many countries are living with outdated beliefs and superstitions and all to the detriment of the Tiger and in this case the Panther as well.
The more I read this evening the sadder I become but it just makes me more determined to try and do whatever I can to help make a difference.

littlewid-x-

WWF are appealing for more signatures for their petition - if you haven't signed yet please do

Lai

Thougt I would highlight this one again incase there is anyone who wants to sign that hasn't or who wants to add it to their Facebook account and hasn't yet done so......they need all the support they can get as Lai mentioned.

littlewid-x-

4,704 people have signed the petition so far ................. which is great in such a short time.

WWF Tiger are hoping to get 100,000 - so as Littlewid says please sign if you haven't done so yet.

Lai

A Report from the meeting in Bali ahead of the Tiger Summit meeting in Russia in September



WS

I think this is good news as long as they follow up the talk with action
WS

True - it is easy to talk but to take action takes determination and perserverance.

Lai

It's also going to take money as well, so lets hope they are willing to put the money in as well as the talk.

littlewid-x-

I agree with you WS, Lai and LW each area needs to be taken into account.

SM

Hope for Russia’s tiger as pine protection measures brought in
08/08/2010 12:20:30
Aiming to break system of illegal logging

August 2010: The Russian government has introduced measures to protect the Korean Pine, a key species found in Amur Tiger habitat in the Russian Far East.


EFFORTS: The aim is to double the world's population of wild tigers
by 2020. Picture: David Lawson / WWF-UK
Rising global demand for Korean Pine has led to a massive increase in logging, much of it carried out illegally, in Russia's remaining temperate forests. To help regulate the logging, Russia has listed the Korean Pine in Appendix III of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). The listing means exports of Korean Pine timber from Russia will need CITES permits, which will make it harder for the illegal timber trade to carry on.

‘TRAFFIC and WWF Russia warmly welcome the measures to regulate the trade in Korean Pine timber, which is good news for the local people whose livelihoods depend on the trade in Korean Pine nuts and for Amur Tigers which live where these trees grow,' said Alexey Vaisman, Senior Programme Officer with TRAFFIC Europe-Russia.

‘The new measures will need to be backed up with appropriate enforcement action,' added Vaisman. Analysis of export data show the commercial trade in Korean pine timber rising over the last decade, in spite the global economic downturn which has reduced trade in most timber species.

The new measures will benefit the legal pine nut trade in the region which WWF and TRAFFIC have been promoting as a means of providing legal and sustainable income.

‘We hope the listing in CITES will finally help break the system of illegal logging of Korean pines and help the survival of trade in alternative, sustainable forestry products from the region,' said Evgeny Lepeshkin, Forestry Projects Co-ordinator with the Amur branch of WWF Russia.


PROTECTED: The green cones of Korean pine.
Picture: naturepl.com / Konstantin Mikhailov / WWF
Korean pine and Amur tiger's fate are inextricably linked
The recently introduced measures come in the midst of a particularly active year for tiger conservation. Around 400 Amur Tigers survive in the native Korean pine forests of the Russian Far East and north-east China, where the pine nuts are an essential food source for Tiger prey species.

‘The fate of the Amur Tiger is inextricably linked to the safeguard of the Korean pine,' said Pauline Verheij, joint TRAFFIC and WWF Tiger Trade Programme Manager. Last month, the 13 countries with surviving tiger populations drafted an historic Declaration on Tiger Conservation.

The Declaration commits the countries to double the number of remaining wild tigers, whose population currently stands at 3,200, by 2022.

Russia will host a Heads of Government Tiger Summit later this year where it is anticipated the Declaration will be formally signed. ‘Russia is putting in place the kind of measures that will help with the commitment by tiger range countries to double numbers of wild tigers by 2020,' said Verheij.

WS

That is good news for the Tiger WS. Instead of just talk it's so good to hear that something positive is actually being done. saving the flora and fauna does actually help wildlife and this is certainly going to benefit the Tiger, that has really made me smile this evening, thanks for posting that news WS.
littlewid-x-

At least if they are doing something to protect the habitat, that should be a major benifit for the Tiger
WS

Anything that can be done to help protect the tiger gets my vote - with so few left in the wild every little bit helps.

Lai

It is really good because the Pine Nuts bring in prey species for the Tiger and the Pine trees give the Tiger habitat to hide in to catch the prey. Its a good conservation effort
littlewid-x-

Lets hope they keep to their word it will make a change.
WS

fingers crossed they really can work together to save the Amur tiger

Lai

I have everything crossed that they are successful especially and neither have really had a goo track record in animal conservation/preservation.



SM